10 Thrilling Roller Coasters

Soar through the sky on one of these gravity-defying rides

Summertime is the season for heading to theme parks to enjoy amusement rides, water slides and spectacular shows. However, if you are a thrill-seeker, then roller coasters are probably what you look forward to the most. Having entertained and attracted millions of visitors over the years, the following record-setting coasters will blow your mind with their speeds, heights, lengths, twists and turns. From the feeling of weightlessness on the Kingda Ka to getting cold feet on Fahrenheit, these rides are the definition of exhilarating.

Kingda Ka

Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ

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This roller coaster breaks every world record for speed and height by reaching a top speed of 128 mph in 3.5 seconds and soaring 45 stories into the sky. The ride starts by using a hydraulic launch to reach the record-breaking speed, then it shoots up 90 degrees into a quarter-turn that is 456 feet in the air, dropping 418 feet in a 270-degree spiral and ending with a 129-foot hill that provides a feeling of weightlessness. All in all, the coaster has a total length of 3,118 feet and lasts just 59 gut-wrenching seconds. Click here to experience the ride through video. Photo: Dusso Janladde–Wikipedia

The BeastKings Island in Kings Island, OH

Holding the title for the world's longest wooden roller coaster, The Beast covers 35 acres of land and spans 7,400 feet. Upon opening in 1979, it was the fastest and tallest wooden coaster, reaching speeds of almost 70 mph. The four-minute-and-50-second ride is known for its two huge vertical drops of 135 and 141 feet respectively, and three tunnels with a 540-degree helix turn at the very end. The ride is said to bring chills to the nighttime riders who dare to experience this excitement under the stars.

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Fahrenheit

Hershey Park in Hershey, PA

Having the steepest drop of any coaster in the United States, the Fahrenheit slopes downward at a 97-degree angle after climbing 121 feet—and that's just the beginning. The 2,700-foot-long, 85-second ride has six inversions, a 75-foot Cobra roll, high-speed curves, airtime hills and more. As riders come to the top of the massive descent, it is said they will experience "cold feet" because they cannot see the track below. Click here to experience the ride through video. Photo: Coasterman1234–Wikipedia

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BizarroSix Flags New England in Springfield, MA

Previously known as Superman: Ride of Steel, this roller coaster underwent a major transformation and is now based on the twisted and backward version of Superman known as Bizarro. Immediately after hopping in, you fall 221 feet into a fog-filled tunnel to begin your journey through this warped world. While aboard, you soar 77 mph, twisting and turning in and around buildings, fog and fire while speakers in the headrests play sound bites from well-known movies.

Tatsu

Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles, CA

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Experience what it really feels like to fly on this 3,602-foot-long steel roller coaster. Tatsu is a must for any thrill-seeker due to its facedown positioning, which suspends riders beneath the track—at times parallel to the ground. With an elevation change of 263 feet and the infamous 124-foot pretzel loop, this two-minute-long ride is the world's tallest, fastest and longest "flying" coaster. Click here to experience the ride through video. Photo: Joe Wu–Flickr

Millennium Force Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH

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In 2000, this roller coaster overlooking Lake Erie broke 10 world records, including the first coaster to use a cable lift system and the first roller coaster to reach a height of more than 300 feet. Since then, other coasters have surpassed Millennium Force, but it still ranks in the top five for the world's tallest, fastest and longest steel roller coasters. The very long track stretches for 6,595 feet and riders ascend 310 feet then plummet toward the ground at an 80-degree angle while traveling at speeds of 92 mph. For the remainder of the two–minute-and-20-second ride, there are ups, downs, twists, turns and a few tunnels thrown into the mix.

Top Thrill Dragster

Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH

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Reaching 420 feet in the air, the Top Thrill Dragster was the first ever strata coaster—which has to be 400–499 feet high. The entire experience is over in 17 seconds, but in that short time it shoots riders from 0 to 120 mph in less than four seconds the moment they get strapped into their seats. Then it spirals 270 degrees while heading down toward the end of the ride. When the coaster launched in 2003, it was the first continuous-circuit roller coaster to go higher than 400 feet and the first coaster to arrive at 120 mph using a hydraulic launch system, while also breaking records for the highest drop and the fastest top speed. Click here to experience the ride through video. Photo: Michael Derr–Flickr

X2 Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles, CA

The X2 became the world's first fourth-dimension roller coaster when it opened on January 12, 2002. Stretching 3,610 feet, the 360-degree rotating seats start off with riders going head-first and facedown for the first drop—which is 215 feet and slopes at an 88.5-degree angle—while traveling 76 mph. Along the route there is a skydive, two raven turns, one back flip and a exhilarating twisting front flip drop along with forward and backward motions, on-board audio and special light effects that are different every time.

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Xcelerator

Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA

This '50s-inspired coaster is 2,201 feet long with a ride time of one minute and two seconds. As you sit in a '57 Chevy decorated with flames, the ride achieves a speed of 82 mph in just over two seconds, starting a journey that will include a 205-foot ascent with an instantaneous descent at a 90-degree angle. This was the first roller coaster to use the hydraulic launch technology later utilized in the Top Thrill Dragster and the Kingda Ka. Click here to experience the ride through video. Photo: Kevin Smith–Flickr

TitanSix Flags Over Texas in Arlington, TX

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Soaring 25 stories above the ground, this 2.8-million-pound steel hyper-coaster lifts riders up a 245-foot hill and immediately sends them plummeting 255 feet down and into a 120-foot tunnel. Before the end you will be taken on a wild ride with a 540-degree helix, one spiral, a camelback hill and a carousel curve. The Titan, stretching through the park for more than a mile, opened in 2001 and will occupy riders for a total of three minutes and 30 seconds once aboard.

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